CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Rachael Stocker
603-788-4850
603-271-3361
August 12, 2024

Bean’s Purchase, NH – At approximately 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 11, 2024, Conservation Officers from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department were notified by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) of an injured hiker located at the Carter Notch AMC Hut.

The evening before the rescue, the hiker, identified as Stephanie Bleau, 39, of Nottingham, New Hampshire, had slipped while crossing a small brook flowing across the trail. As a result of the slip and subsequent fall, Bleau sustained a lower-leg injury. At the time of this incident, Bleau was hiking the Wildcat Ridge Trail in the vicinity of the Carter Notch AMC Hut. With the assistance of her hiking companions and AMC Staff, Bleau made it approximately 0.4 miles to the Carter Notch Hut. She was given first aid and spent the night at the hut. In the morning she was found to not be able to bear weight on her injured ankle.

At approximately 10:00 a.m., five Conservation Officers and twenty-four volunteers from the AMC and Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue Team (AVSAR) responded, hiking up to the AMC hut where Bleau was located. They reached Bleau at 11:44 a.m. She was ultimately transported out overland in a litter and brought to Route 16 via the 19 Mile Brook Trail at approximately 4:00 p.m. Once roadside, Bleau was transported from the scene by hiking companions to seek medical attention.

Bleau was found to be an experienced hiker who was well prepared with the proper gear and equipment necessary for a multi-day hike. Her injury was the result of wet terrain and pure accident.